NYPD on look out for white man; questions vehicle's owner

New York Police today zeroed in on a white man who was seen on surveillance videos shedding his shirt and walking away from an explosive-laden vehicle in the heart of Times Square and questioned its registered owner.

Over 45 kgs of fertiliser, with fireworks and wires fitted around was found in the car, police said, but it was not the ammonium nitrate grade that can explode.

The police are now looking for the white man in his 40s who was caught on surveillance camera walking away from the area removing a dark coloured shirt to reveal a red one underneath yesterday.

Officials also questioned the registered owner of the sport utility vehicle Nissan Pathfinder, but have not yet identified anyone as the driver.

No further details were available.

Meanwhile, president Barack Obama has vowed to do whatever necessary to find those responsible for the failed terror plot to blow up the car bomb on Saturday.

"We're going to do what's necessary to protect the American people, to determine who is behind this potentially deadly act, and to see that justice is done," Obama said in his remarks in Venice, Louisiana where he travelled to have a firsthand assessment of the damages due to oil spill.

Obama said he spoke to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to make sure that State and federal officials are coordinating effectively.

"Since last night my national security team has been taking every step necessary to ensure that our state and local partners have the full support and cooperation of the federal government," he said.

"I'm going to continue to monitor the situation closely and do what it takes at home and abroad to safeguard the security of the American people," Obama said.

The footage from 82 security cameras around Times Square, a video taken by a tourist and evidence from the vehicle, were studied by investigators.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the unidentified man a "person of interest" and city police chief Raymond Kelly said was acting in a "furtive" manner as he hurried away from the area where vehicle was parked.

"We simply want to talk to him," Kelly told CNN, noting that police would today release video provided by a tourist showing a person running north on Broadway.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano noted earlier that the car bomb was a terrorist attack.

"We're taking this very seriously... We're treating it as if it could be a potential terrorist attack," she said.

Meanwhile, a video purportedly released by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing in Times Square, though the credibility of the claim is yet to be verified. However, Both Bloomberg and Kelly dismissed the Taliban's claim.